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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. court — of law
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. press — to push
  9. hand — help
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. clip — to cut
  14. court — of a king
  15. clip — a video
  16. hand — in cards
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stock — shares
  19. key — in music
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — the most important part
  24. court — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com